


Fifth Wheels and Fireflies

by Linnrinn



Series: Death Is Only The Beginning... [11]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28814406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linnrinn/pseuds/Linnrinn
Summary: The Ancients leave for vacation, leaving Nile feeling a little lonely.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Death Is Only The Beginning... [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066418
Comments: 1
Kudos: 52





	Fifth Wheels and Fireflies

**Author's Note:**

> out of the series, this is one of my favorites thus far. its all been fun, but i love how this one turned out. 
> 
> i have been a third wheel many times, and even when the couples are caring and intentional about making sure i don't feel left out, it can get a bit lonely sometimes. not a fault of the other two in any part, but its a reality. even surrounded by people, one can still feel lonely at times. after booker left, i imagined that would have been a struggle for Nile, especially after being ripped from her prior life and family.
> 
> again, any better translations than google translate are welcome. 
> 
> This is the next addition in the series so if you haven't read the rest of it first, might want to start there! it could stand alone if needed, but you will get the full context from starting at the beginning.

Nile eyed the offending suitcases that sat so innocently by the door, doing her best to appear sedate despite the growing melancholy she felt. She had no desire to be caught moping by everyone. Instead, she turned back to her phone and texted Booker.

“ **I’m bored**.”

“ **Hi, Bored** ,” came the reply and Nile groaned.

“ **Ew, no. You and I are supposed to be the cool, hip immortals. You better not be trading sides to the ancients** ,” she threatened, referring to the other four of her family who were much older than her and Booker.

“ **We ARE ancients in the grand scheme of the world, Nile. Well, at least I am. You are only in your forties, which isn’t even close to ancient.** ”

“ **You are supposed to be on my side, Sebastian,** ” she scolded in the text.

“ **Always am** ,” he replied. “ **What’s on the agenda today?** ”

“ **Andy said it’s time for a break. She and Q are going to Vietnam for a bit. Nicky and Joe are headed back to Malta. You?** ”

She waited for his reply, watching as Andy strolled into the room and collapsed on the other end of the couch. The backpack at her feet told Nile that the Scythian was already packed and ready to go. Quynh’s suitcase was still open and awaiting closure by the door. Occasionally, the woman would pop into the room long enough to fling something towards it and then disappear for another item on her list.

“She knows you two are only going to be gone for a few weeks, right,” Nile asked doubtfully.

Andy smiled. “Yep. She’s never been able to pack lightly.”

“And you are fairly spartan in your needs,” Nile nodded to the worn backpack at Andy’s feet. The two women chuckled softly, until Quynh started to drag another suitcase into the room.

“ _Người c_ ủ _a tôi_ , Andrei will have a fit if you fill the back of his entire plane with luggage,” Andy said laughingly as she moved to help her wife.

“You’re taking her to Vietnam in the plane of your drug runner connection?” Nile asked with a disbelieving laugh. “How romantic.”

Joe and Nicky strode into the living room, reasonably sized duffle bags thrown over their shoulders as they entered.

“That’s not even the most questionable of Andy’s connections for transportation,” Nicky chuckled. They set their bags down next to the quickly growing pile of things Quynh planned to take and then sat down on the couch where Nile was, each taking one side to bookend her.

“Are you going to be alright by yourself, Nile?” Joe asked with a small frown between his dark brows.

“You can always come with us,” Nicky reminded her.

“Or us,” Andy tacked on.

Nile was tempted to give in, not wanting to be alone for a few weeks, but the idea of some time alone didn’t sound bad. While she loved her new family, it had been hard these past two decades being surrounded by two couples and Booker leaving her without a buddy. The others were always very conscious of including her and never making her feel like a third (or fifth) wheel, but it did get a little tiresome to be around two couples who were so sickly in love that even dinner turned into sappy looks and dreamy eyed stares.

After Booker had left, again, they had gone on strings of mission for a time, for which she was grateful. It gave her something to focus on rather than wishing that the family was all together. But after two decades, Andy had decided it was time for some vacation. Quynh had yet to return to her homeland, so she and Andy had decided to head to Vietnam. Nicky and Joe had immediately agreed on Malta (Andy muttered something about them having a home there) and the excitement in both couples made her feel like she was intruding. Andy hadn’t had much extended alone time with Quynh since she returned and Joe and Nicky loved to go on vacations together when they could. So, when they’d invited her, she pasted on a smile and shook her head, claiming she wanted to spend some down time in the house.

“No,” she answered, that same smile pasted on to convince them to leave without her. She couldn’t wait to get to feel sorry for herself alone, where she wouldn’t be judged for being childish and unhappy with a decision she had made. “I have a stack of books I want to catch up on and some tv shows to binge watch. Maybe visit one of the world’s wonders or two. You all have fun, though. Send me pictures! Or bring me something.”

“You got it, _Saghirti,_ ” Joe assured her. “And if you change your mind, just call.”

Quynh joined them on the couch as well, Andy moving to perch on the arm with her legs thrown over Joe’s lap and Quynh plopping right down on top of Nicky, her legs stretching over Nile’s thighs to tangle with Andy’s.

“You will bring back coffee, will you not,” Nicky asked Quynh hopefully and the others could only murmur in agreement.

“Yes. I will make Andy bring back as much as she can carry,” Quynh giggled.

“Well then, shit, we’re gonna be up to our ears,” Joe grinned. He looked over at Nile. “We have some time. Do you want me to re do your hair before I leave?”

“No, it’s alright. Wash day can wait.” Nile loved that Joe was willing to do her har. She didn’t have to pay for a braider or worse, fail to find one in whatever area they were in. It made her feel loved.

The first time she needed to wash her hair and then had to put in new braids, she’d had a meltdown in the bathroom when she’d realized her mom always did her hair when she was home, or Jay or Dizzy had worked together with her to cut the time in half. Nicky had found her and ushered her into the room with the others to try to find some help. Andy had regretfully pointed at her own short hair with a shrug. Quynh’s hair was so fine, it didn’t need much care. Joe, on the other hand, understood thick, curly hair and offered to learn how to help. Once he got the hang of it, the artist in him roared to life and he became eager to learn new braids and techniques, going as far as assisting her on wash day and trading pictures of hairstyles to try next.

“Alright,” Joe agreed. “But I want to try that braided updo Nicky found on Pinterest next.”

“Fine. You all better get out of here before you miss your flights.”

“You are sure, Nile? I feel sad that you are alone.” Quynh’s comment almost did her in, but she held strong. It was important to spend time with one’s partner and Nile felt it selfish to get in the way of that.

“I’m good, Q.” She said. “Promise.”

“She’s gonna be fine,” Andy said offhandedly, and Nile tried not to feel so easily to dismissed. So, she wrapped her arms around Joe and Nicky’s necks and bear hugged them hard enough to hear their bones creak before moving on to hug Quynh out of Nicky’s lap.

A flurry of more hugs and kisses and goodbyes, and Andy was the last out of the door. She paused and gave Nile a wink. “You will be, you know.”

“Will be what?”

“Fine. You will be fine. See you in a few weeks.” Andy gave her a final nod and dragged Quynh’s suitcase with her as she left. The door shut and her left alone.

Nile sighed, suddenly feeling directionless, having no idea what to do with herself. She checked her phone and frowned that Booker had not texted back yet. Again, she tried not to let it hurt.

“ **The grandpas are headed to Malta and the grandmas are boarding the Russian drug running plane to Vietnam. What about you? Want to chat tonight?** ’

Turning back to her room, she climbed into her most comfortable sweats and oversized t shirt she stole from one of the guys and then gathered every snack she could find in the kitchen. Once prepared, she settled into the couch, planning to numb herself with streaming until she couldn’t stand it.

She checked her phone again and still no answer. And that’s when the loneliness hit hard. Miserably, she shoved the snacks away from her and curled up on her side. Maybe she could just sleep the weeks away.

Not that she couldn’t be alone, but she was realizing that she still missed her family. Being around the couples made her feel like she didn’t have a person. And it didn’t help that Booker was still gone on his quest to find himself. It was depressing to realize that if she didn’t have her immortal family, she’d have no one. She was a ghost, a nomad, not belonging anywhere and when her closest family was gone, she didn’t have anything outside of that. In that moment, it made her feel extremely lonely.

Her phone vibrated.

“ **We can chat now if you want.** ”

The only thing she wanted to do at the moment was sulk. She was going to pointedly ignore the text when her phone rang. She glared at it until it stopped. Then it rang and rang and she growled, grabbing it and sliding the green button across the screen.

“Thanks for giving me the chance to say yes,” she snarked.

“You don’t have much of a choice,” he answered with amusement.

Nile frowned, a weird echo of his voice ringing from the phone and yet in the room. Surprise flared through her and she turned to find a grinning, six-foot-tall Frenchman holding a phone to his ear.

_“_ _Vous ai-je manqué?_ _”_

_“_ _Bien sûr!”_ Nile confirmed, vaulting over the couch to hug him. “When did you get here?! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?! Where have you been? Should I call the others?! I’m sure they wouldn’t mind turning around!”

Booker laughed and gave her a squeeze before dumping her over the couch’s back onto the cushions. With ease, he hopped over as well and landed next to her. “Andy mentioned that they were taking some trips and said that you were going to stay home and pout.”

Nile folded her arms and glared at him. “I wasn’t pouting.”

“You were,” Booker disagreed. He pointed at her sweats. “Those are your pouting pants.”

“Correction. These are my period pants,” Nile fired back.

“It’s both. And you're lazy day pants as well.”

They faced off, Nile lifting her nose in the air stubbornly while Booker gave her a knowing look. Finally, Nile fell prey to her own dogged honesty.

“Fine,” she sighed. “I just hate admitting it because it makes me feel like a kid. I was the one who said no, not wanting to intrude and give them some time together, but at the same time it sucks being the odd man out! Don’t get me wrong. The others go miles out of their way to make sure that I am included and involved. It just makes me feel lonely; like a fifth wheel.”

Booker frowned. “You are not alone.”

Nile didn’t like the concern in his eyes so she smiled and skipped to a new topic. “Not now. Now, we get to go on our own adventure!”

“What do you want to do?” Booker asked, letting her take the detour from the conversation for now. He planned to revisit it again.

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Booker sputtered. “You’re the one suggesting adventuring but you don’t have a destination in mind?!”

Nile shrugged again. “Never really thought about it. Usually, the missions take priority right now and my family never really had money to travel so it wasn’t an option. The only times I’ve really traveled is while deployed on tour or with all of you.

Booker nodded. “Well, do you have anything on your bucket list? Something that you thought about doing in your daydreams of having the time and the means to do anything?”

Nile paused, thinking before she smiled. “A few things.”

“Like?” Booker asked.

Nile gave a grin, both wistful and shy at the same time. “I want to catch fireflies.”

\- - -

Not many days later, Booker and Nile found themselves flying to the South Carolina in the United States, then driving to Congaree National Park. Between the months of May and June, for two weeks, the fireflies would gather in the forests and flash their lights in a dazzling display for people to see. They had, together, researched ways to catch fireflies (You actually shouldn’t. They settled for seeing them), safe practices when encountering them, as well as how to photograph them. And now they found themselves ready to wander the trails of the national park to catch glimpses of the little bugs.

While the sun was setting, they spread a blanket out on a patch of grass to eat before starting out on the Fireflies Trail once it was dark enough. Bottles of water, sandwiches and fruit lay spread between them in the waning light.

Booker looked around them. “I did some hiking in a few of the National Parks here in the US while I was away.”

“What else did you do while you were away,” Nile asked him curiously, but cautiously. While they had texted and video called often, Nile didn’t ask where he was or what he was doing, just as much as Booker never volunteered the information. She didn’t think it was due to him thinking they would go after him, but more of a way to keep his journey personalized for a time.

His face was contemplative. “I did some volunteering. Went to an orphanage outside of Tijuana, Mexico and helped them lay foundations for some new buildings for a time and such. Hiking. Lots of hiking.”

“Do you like hiking that much?”

Booker turned to her. “I’d say so. I don’t know if its the reaching-the-end part or the getting-there part that appeals to me, but there’s something about just putting one foot in front of the other until you arrive.”

Nile smiled. “We can go hiking after this.”

He nodded. “I went to AA meetings. Went to therapy. Lots of therapy.”

“That patient confidentiality clause must have come in handy when you got to the parts about coming back from the dead,” Nile quipped and was reward by him with a chuckle.

“If I had included that part, I would have had to find a way out of an inpatient psych ward,” he said. “Copley helped arrange some of the resources for me actually.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You asked Copley for help?”

He nodded.

“Is it ok if I ask how the therapy went?”

He smiled. “It’s fine. It actually went well. It was almost easier to talk to a stranger about it all for once. And it was surprisingly more of me talking than them. I thought therapy was the therapist talking as much as the patient.”

“It’s a place to lay it out and unburden. The therapist is there to just help arrange all the pieces and guide at times. Their job is to really help the patient arrive at the answers themselves or to help give them strategies to manage, cope, and heal.” Nile said as she stared out at the expanse of the park, her eyes distant with memories.

Booker nodded in agreement. “It helped. I wouldn’t say I’m a hundred percent, but I’m doing a lot better and have worked to get to a better place. I actually have a standing monthly appointment with them. They are going to be proud that I came back.” There was a note in his voice that drew her attention and she studied his blue eyes with her brown ones.

“You almost didn’t come back,” she breathed in realization.

Booker nodded regretfully. “It was in the middle of my time away. I was having a bad string of months and I just wanted to give up. I figured if I stayed away it would be less trouble for you all and you would…grow accustomed to my absence. Then I wouldn’t have to try to be better. It would be so easy to just start from scratch.” He looked almost nervous, as if his confession might cause a negative response. She would never admit that in the first seconds after he said it, she had been angry. But it dissipated just as quickly, leaving only relief and gratefulness in its place.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” she finally said softly. “How did you know you were ready to come back?”

“Andy. She told me you were going to be alone because you gallantly refused to spoil everyone else’s vacations and she asked me to come.”

A stab of hurt lanced through her. “You only came because Andy asked you to?”

Booker made a noise of realization at what his comment had sounded like. He set down his food and placed a hand on hers. “I came, _Rivièrette,_ because you needed me. I know it’s been hard for you with our family incomplete. I know it’s made you anxious that I was separated from us all and that…that my leaving hurt you, as much as I needed to do it.”

Nile squeezed his hand reassuringly. “And I’m still really glad you did it. It just made me sad that there was supposed to be six settings at the table, not five. Nicky kept making an extra serving of everything for a while. Or Joe didn’t have a buddy to watch futbol with. Andy missed you too. Very much.”

“And it didn’t help that my leaving made you a fifth wheel at times.” He acknowledged.

Nile snorted. “There were a few times I wish there was someone else to hang out with that wasn’t attached to their person by the hip.”

“I can do it.” Booker answered immediately.

When she cocked a head at him in question, he elaborated. “Each of them has a person. I’ll be yours. Want to sightsee in a new country, I’m here. Need a laundry day partner? Let me know. Looking for a movie buddy or someone to watch fireflies with? I’m there.”

Nile gave a pained smile. “Booker, I’m not asking to intrude on or monopolize anyone. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to humor me or that I can’t be by myself at times.”

“It’s not any of those things. It’s just acknowledging that we don’t have anyone else but this family and each other. I have learned not to begrudge the others, but we need to watch out for each other since we don’t have persons. It’s not to say that you aren’t close to Andy, Joe, Nicky or Quynh as well. It’s just everyone needs a person. Someone they can go to no matter what.”

Nile was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded.

“Ok.” She turned and braced her back against his, allowing him to hold her up as she looked out on the views of the park. “Deal. I watch your six, and you watch mine.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Booker chuckled.

Nile was fairly vibrating with excitement as sun dipped below the horizon. Booker grinned as they finished the sandwiches they’d packed, occasionally glancing at the young woman next to him. They watched the colors of sunset splash the sky until it turned to cool, blended tones of blue, purple and indigo and stars began to twinkle to life in the expanse above.

When it was dark enough to begin walking the trail, they threw the picnic supplies into the rental and exchanged it for a Nikon camera and flashlights with blue cellophane over the front so as not to startle or harm the bugs. They headed towards the path, trying to keep distance between the others who were also there to catch glimpses of the creatures.

“Why do you want to see fireflies so badly, Nile?” He asked her as they walked.

Nile hummed happily. “They were my favorite. I even did a report on them in kindergarten. It all started when I was young, I had a favorite picture book that my dad used to read to me when he came home in between deployments. It was about a little girl who got lost in the forest.”

Nile’s voice took on a story telling cadence, her voice rising and falling with subtle dynamics that told Booker she knew the story by heart. “She couldn’t find her way back home to her family because it was dark and scary. After wandering for hours, she finally sat down on a log and cried and cried, thinking she would be lost forever. That’s when a firefly found her. He flew around and around her until she decided to follow it. It led her through low hanging branches and under dark crevices but finally, she broke through the tree line. Her family had been looking for her and saw her approaching the house and they were so happy to have her home. She was right where she belonged, all because of that little firefly.”

“That…is adorable,” Booker said with all sincerity. “I’m picturing a little Nile on her father’s knee asking him to read it again and again.” He grinned at the thought.

She giggled. “I did ask. And he always read it again, until I’d fall asleep.”

Her smile dimmed somewhat. “When my dad died, I remember crying, realizing I’d never hear him read that story again. We’d even made plans to go see them together and I remember throwing the written itinerary we’d made into the trash after the funeral. I was having a real tough time of it.” “My mom found these ceiling decorations at the store once, little fireflies that glowed after you turned the lights out. I used to stare up at those, thinking that it was nice to have a little bit of light to look at in the darkness and a reminder that my mom loved me and my dad had loved me. I guess I just think of them as little bugs that are filled with hope and can lead you home.”

Booker smiled as they walked. “I like that.”

In a clearing near the path, Nile stopped and pointed, tugging on his jacket. Amongst the trees and grasses, twinklings of light glowed in the dark of the forest night. With only the occasional sounds of night and a few passersby, they stood and watched in awed silence at the gentle pulses of light.

“It’s beautiful,” Nile whispered, looking near overwhelmed at the sight before them

Booker made a quiet noise of agreement. He took a minute to fiddle with the exposure and other settings on the camera and took a few photos. The photos would be gorgeous, but it would do little to match the reverent beauty in front of them. They stood at that spot for a long time, suspended in the magic of the moment.

A gasp from Nile prompted him to turn and he found her cradling a firefly that had landed on her hand. The little bug in her hands began to glow and blink, its gentle light bathing Nile’s face. Slowly, he raised his camera and started the exposures for one last picture. Once it was finished, he slung it on the strap to his back, not willing to spend any more time looking at the sights through a lens.

Nile smiled, enraptured as she held the beetle. Her black hair was cornrowed into silky braids that were gathered into a low bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes stared intently at the little creature, transfixed by it. Booker thought she looked like a woodland nymph from a fairytale story, unearthly and beautiful in her element. It left him swayed by the sight. He thought about the story she’d told him, about hope and home with people who loved you. He stopped watching the fireflies entirely and watched her instead.

When the firefly decided to move on and took off from her hand, Nile watched it go with a gentle smile before turning her sparkling brown eyes to him. Saying nothing, she simply slipped her hand into his and pulled him farther down the path.

They spent hours on the trail, staying past midnight. Booker never rushed her or felt the need to end things early. The night was wrapped in timelessness and a sense of beautiful otherworldliness, that left them little desire to depart. When the trail had ended, they finally got into the car to drive back to the hotel.

Nile bounced in her seat, still elated after the experience. “Did you get pictures? I can’t wait to show everyone!”

Booker grinned as she drove, risking a glance away from the road to take her in. “I did. They may not fully compare to the real thing, but it will get the point across.”

“They are going to wish they’d come with us.”

Booker laughed at that and Nile raised a brow. “What?”

“You know why the fireflies blink, right?”

“To attract a female,” Nile answered, confused at the question’s relevancy.

“It’s just funny to think all of that beauty people come for miles to see or would be jealous of, is because some male beetles get horny.”

“Booker!” Nile faked offense at his comment and punched him in the arm, which sent them both laughing.

Nile laid a hand on his arm. “Really, though, thank you,” she said with sincerity. A few tears glimmered in her eyes. “That was something I never thought I’d get to do.”

“You’re welcome, Nile. I’ve got you,” he reminded her.

She fell asleep on the drive back to the hotel and Booker fairly had to carry her to their room. She stumbled out of her shoes as he took her jacket and immediately slid into bed. Booker decided it wasn’t worth pointing out she was still in clothes she had been wearing for a trek in a national park. Instead, he kicked off his own shoes and jacket and pulled back the covers of his own bed. He glanced back at Nile as he turned out the bedside lamp, watching as she slumbered deeply within minutes of having lain down. On sudden whim, he leaned over her and placed a soft, barely-there kiss against her temple.

“ _Merci,_ little firefly, for leading me home where I belong.”

**Author's Note:**

> *Saghirti (little one)  
> người của tôi (my one)  
> Vous ai-je manqué? (did you miss me?)  
> “Bien sûr! (Of course)  
> Merci (thank you)
> 
> I eventually see Booker and Nile getting together, but it would be a few more decades down the road. At first i actually wasn't for it at first, but over time the idea grew on me. So they are headed in that direction, but im not rushed to get there with them.   
> i have always wanted to write something like this between them because i loved the scene around the fire in the cave.Whether romantic or platonic, i think Booker and Nile would have a great dynamic. Nile is so good for all of the Guard, helping Andy find her 'why', standing witness to Booker's pain and grief, ect. As young as she is to them, i think she brings such unifying and revitalizing element to the group. 
> 
> now that i sent andy and quynh, joe and nicky, on vacation, i want to detour to those as well, especially andy and quynh. its interesting writing for them because we only got glimpses of andy and quynh's time together, so its a lot to either speculate on or make up yourself in regards to their interactions. but i really want to write more of them! 
> 
> this one also made me think of how i'd write Booker's years in therapy, his treks and hikes while working with a therapist. It's daunting to think about writing that because im not a trained professional in the least and would want to do it justice...but its something to sit on the back burner with the other story plots i have simmering away.
> 
> ive been able to post in quick succession thus far because the stories up until now were somewhat already written. i don't know when the next installment will come, and now its may be anywhere in the timeline set up thus far or whats ahead to come...who knows. i will just head where the stories take me next.


End file.
